Smyly allowed one hit over two scoreless innings against the Orioles in his Grapefruit League debut for Atlanta on Wednesday, striking out the side in the second inning, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "This whole spring I've felt great," Smyly said afterward. "I feel like I have a great idea of the kind of pitcher I am. It takes a long time for a lot of guys to figure it out. The game is always evolving. You have to keep making adjustments. But I feel like I'm in a really good place with how to pitch, how to attack hitters. I'm just trying to carry that over."

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw has battled injuries throughout his career but has had stretches of dominance in between IL stints, including a stunning 35.2 percent strikeout rate over 26.1 innings last season for the Giants. Atlanta may have the rotation depth to weather an extended absence from Smyly, but if he can pitch like he did in 2020 for significantly more than just five starts, it would provide a big boost to the team's chances of defending its NL East crown.